Recipes

This Roasted Beet Hummus is seriously delicious. Creamy and delectable, stunning in color, full of flavor, topped with oven roasted whole garlic cloves and crumbled goat cheese. This recipe does not conform to the usual Mediterranean recipes. There is a beet hummus recipe, several in fact. The one by Ottolenghi is spectacular. But, for me, hummus…

When I was thinking about what all I can make with the Lemon Leek Sauce as the base, Vegetable Stew came foremost to my mind. It tastes incredible! My Stew Story My first stew experience was in Kerala, India, at my friend’s house. It was the day before her wedding and we had all arrived,…

Oven Stewed Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce is a thick sweet piquant sauce with a kick of cayenne and a garnish of roasted garlic. It really is finger licking delicious. Like many of my sauces, this too does not have strong spices which give me the latitude to adapt it to any cuisine. Why Beefsteak Tomatoes?…

A tangy, delicious Tomatillo dal which is as different as it is easy to make. A South Indian dal made with a Mexican fresh produce. Tomatillos are a new taste that I love since moving to the United States. My first taste was like most people at a Mexican restaurant having it Salsa Verde. It was so…

Have you had those days when you are distracted but you have people coming over for dinner and so obviously everything goes wrong? I have those often but once what was looking to be a disaster turned out to be delicious. Yep, I am talking about this recipe for Butternut Squash Vadai (Fritter) which was…

What do you get when you combine sweet mixed peppers with carrots and green Kale, toss them with Penne pasta, and garnish with South Indian style tempering of aromatic spices, aka, tadka, curry leaves and crunchy peanuts?!!! You get an Italian in South India, shaking hands over a delectable, healthy and delicious Mixed Peppers Pasta Upma…

I made this bread, “Bloomer” Multigrain Bread a couple days back and it’s been sitting on the kitchen whispering every day, “use me”, very lovingly. Or creepily, depending who is listening. Ok, back on track. It’s been beckoning me to make a sandwich. Now my normal breakfast every day is plain oatmeal. But, the smell…

I realized late one evening that I had nothing in the house for breakfast. No eggs, no bread, no cereal and no dosai maavu. I was low on flour too, whole wheat, all-purpose. What I did have was a Multigrain Flour that my friend had given me which she said she would never use. So…

Saffron infused Couscous Vegetable Stir-fry is a light, welcoming and satisfying side or main course. A perfect homage to the farmers market loot. Is vegetable stir-fry a no-brainer? Absolutely! The market is overflowing with the bounty of the harvest with rich flavors and mesmerizing taste. Summer and Fall are a perfect time to make it….

The weather is hot and I long for a refreshing iced tea. So I grabbed the grapefruit from the bowl, squeezed it, made syrup, added water and Voila! Ginger Grapefruit Iced Tea. It’s that easy. The slight bitterness from the grapefruit pairs marvelous with ginger from the tea bags. The resulting taste is sweet with a…

Blueberry Muffins are simply irresistible. Fresh luscious blueberries folded into a simple batter make sweet flavor bursting muffins with a firm cake-like crumb. Though I categorize them under Dessert, I can eat these for breakfast, snack, and dessert. Blueberries Blueberries are new age fruits to me. I tasted them only after coming to the United States….

Crème au Beurre or buttercream is a light, smooth icing that we use often in pastry kitchens. I learned how to make buttercream at my culinary school – International Culinary Center. Buttercreams taste heavenly. Did I mention that? There are many variations of the basic formula of the buttercream. The well known are, French (made with egg…

Rasam Powder Spiced Red Pepper and Carrot Soup is a low carb, no oil, easy and healthy soup to make. I came up with this recipe when my son fell ill. He wanted soup and I really wanted him to have Rasam. Hence the Rasam Powder Spiced Red Pepper and Carrot Soup. It takes very little effort…

The Mango Ginger Panna cotta is creamy and delectable with a hint of ginger and layer of mango. This is a winning combination and a party delight. Panna cotta is the easiest thing to make. I first made this at work, when catering to a graduation party. It was an instant hit. I made these…

The Paneer – Pistachio Spinach Pesto Parathas are an easy put-together main course. High in beneficial fats, Vitamin B6, potassium and a good source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. And they are delicious. Friends ask me all the time, how to to use sauces in different ways. I think of a sauce as a blank canvas…

An Easy-Dessert, the Cashew Coconut Milkshake with Dates and Banana is creamy without any cream, and delicious for those dinner nights at home or a weekend dinner party. And its low calorie to boot and vegan. My Friday night frenzy! I was running around on a Friday night, trying to get everything ready for the…

I just love peas in any form. You are going eh?!! I do! It’s sweet and brilliant green in color. And it is comfort food. And… it is so easy and quick to make. This protein-rich pea soup is hearty and healthy. Split-peas is not a stranger to India and definitely not to France. Traditionally…

Banana, Almond, Rice Flour Pancakes are delicious, gluten-free, easy to make pancakes. They can be made vegan too. See instructions. I dusted it with powdered sugar and served with fresh fruits and pure Maple syrup. Top it off with my yummilicious Strawberry Jam to kick it up a notch. My Sunday Morning Sunday morning and my kids wanted pancakes!…

I love pesto! It’s one of these easy, delicious concoctions that can be spread on or tossed with anything. The Pistachio Spinach Pesto is one such wonders. The creamy, rich pistachios blend marvelously with the nutritious, brilliant green spinach. The resulting pesto is satisfyingly nutty, a little sweet, garlicky, with a hint of lime. The…

Mint-Lentil Coconut Rice is my go-to simple, delicious, refreshing dinner for those busy weeknights or lazy weekends. You can eat it as is or with an equally simple yogurt sauce (raita). It hearty and healthy! Plus the whole dish takes only 20 minutes to make, from start to finish. And it’s vegan. Coconut Rice I…

Decadent and moist, these Chocolate Cupcakes are velvety smooth and so very delicious! I made these for my daughter’s birthday and the kids decorated their cupcakes with M&M’s and sprinkles. They had a ball! I decorated mine with crystallized ginger. My husband had his plain. You can do so much with these cupcakes that are…

This purple kale salad is colorful, delicious and a super fun way to eat a Super-Food. See, what I did there?!! This is probably why my kids ignore me when I drop them at school. However, they will, and have eaten this scrumptious salad without a fuss. I usually pair it with a simple pasta dish…

This Tomato Relish is spicy, tangy and so full of flavor that explodes in your mouth. I love this relish. I recently made this for a gift basket order and it was a big hit. Spicy Tomato Relish Don’t you just love tradition! This is my grandmother’s recipe (Thakali Thoku in Tamil). A favorite of mine and…